Posted by Courtney E. Howard 

MARIETTA, Ga., 26 Sept. 2011. Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) officials have delivered the first of 11 HC-130J Combat King II personnel recovery aircraft to the U.S. Air Force's Air Combat Command (ACC). The new platform, based on a KC-130J tanker baseline, incorporates an electro-optical/infrared sensor, Enhanced Service Life Wing, Enhanced Cargo Handling System, Universal Aerial Refueling Receptacle Slipway Installation (boom refueling receptacle), a combat systems operator station on the flight deck, and dual satellite communications (satcom). Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force, flew the aircraft from Lockheed Martin Aeronautics' facility in Marietta, Ga., to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. 

"It's an honor to have flown this magnificent aircraft from Marietta," said Gen. Schwartz during the ceremony. "It's a significant milestone for the personnel recovery and the combat search-and-rescue community. The capability of the HC-130 Combat King II is an order of magnitude greater than any of its predecessors, and I have to tell you it's certainly better than any Herc of any variety that I have ever flown."

"This new C-130J configuration gives ACC unparalleled capability for its personnel recovery mission," explains Lorraine Martin, Lockheed Martin vice president for C-130 programs.